Something I commissioned from Melisa and a reminder to vote for the Mardi Gras Belle since a commission can take about 2 weeks give or take. The girl with the green hair is Yamakaze and the one with the red is Arashi. I kinda pictured them being very angry Nautilus is a thing and has big boobs so they the made plans for their revenge. As one should know all plans of shipgirls and mice fall to pieces if the enemy is in the tactics room, Arashi from zhan jian shao nyu (Warship Girls) is not here due to diplomacy problem between Kancolle and WSG.

Here's to hoping this doesn't blow up. So it's been pointed out on Steam that the ingame tutorial is incomplete, the game's learning curve is steep, and the myriad of options available, while great, really doesn't help newcomers figure out just what they're supposed to do. This, I can personally confirm, is entirely on the mark.
I figured I'd try and collect and explain some of the basic mechanics that the game doesn't, and hopefully shed some light on them as I go into more detail. If that turns out to be wasted effort than, eh...go read Bobbin Threadbare's LP I suppose, 'cuz I sure as Fish can't help ya'. Anyway:
(IMPORTANT) F12 Function:
(Advanced) Familiar Training Strategy:
(Advanced) The Forbidden Arts (Imagination/Improvisation 101 required):
Adventures:
Attributes (primary):
Attributes (secondary):
Character Creation (Mechanics):
Character Creation (reference lists):
Character Creation (tips on creating a character):
Chance of Success/Failure, Chance of Detection, Glory, Parental Approval, Re-Rolls and Skill Substitution:
Class Skipping and Detention:
Cleanse and Cheesemake Remake (Or: Cheese and Remake):
Cliques:
Dealing with Bullies:
Exams (or: Study and why it's (not) important):
Exploring:
Merit Race:
Pheme Buffing:
Random Events:
Research:
Rolls and Color-Coding:
Romance (Or: Why a Lack Thereof?):
Skills (Basics and Tips):
Stress Bonus:

This is meta gaming, but since you asked... I generally explore for two locations. The Incantation classroom, if I don't have the course, and the Imperial Palace: Grand Library.
The incantation classroom (region Academagia, surprise ) informs you of the 'Theory of Incantation' subskill in turn needed to enroll in Esteban Contu's School of Incantation, the best place to learn Incantation. The Imperial Palace: Grand Library is a good way to unlock the The Library of Longshade (region Imperial Reserve), without the RNG of the Venalicium Library.
The Imperial Palace: Grand Library can be found even with a fresh character, but if you want to find it in one go, some save scumming is needed.

I see where your heart lies. In fact everyone sees it. At the bottom of the Rio de la Plata. And I sure do hope you prevent that once the game is out.
Also I have to profoundly apologise to Fubuki and Espero. For some odd reason (since Espero is one of my favs) I forgot about them being interviewed.
So here are the two missing haikus:
She will steal your heart
Espero is on the way
Steals your pocket too
Focused yet dreamy
Old but modern Fubuki
Odd and silent ship
And I felt this one was in order as an apology for my lack of attention:
What are you and where?
We know you exist but how?
Glorious is missed.

Silent and concerned
Lady D’Aosta is
Noble and restraint
No time Profintern
Showed you all of her hobbies
Was there shown too much?
Elegant Moskva
Focused on things which matter
Unlike her sister?
Always on the search
For something new exciting
Is Maille Breze
Is she the finest?
Kongou has seen much but is
Refined Japanese?
Besiege mit ihr
Deine Fehler und Feinde
Wähl Leberecht Maass
A lot of blood seen
Willing to see more of it
Verdun engages
Rätsel entdecken,
Lösen und Wahrheit finden
U-29
Im Winter sind wir.
Nur kalt. Gedanken wärmen.
Holde Gneisenau.
A fierce warrior
Takao improves herself
Every way possible
Stars in her eyes she
Pursues them and fights with you
For you Orion
Aoba Goldberg
Has nothing on her skill for
Crafty beauty things
Girl Scout submarine
Serves King and country good
Join Salmon your scout

Foul tongue but sharp blades
Bulldog, you like a good fight
Wellington likes you
Kirov joins the fight
Against the enemy and
About the captain
Bearn what ship is she?
One which fights the enemy
One which loves good food
Hans Lüdemann sorgt
Für alle flotten Schiffe
Pünktlich und für mich
Only one shirt fits
Harbinger of death itself
Camicia Nera
Is she the finest?
Nagato tries hard to be
Refined Japanese
Do not approach her
First you need to be assigned
To the sub I 8
New to the waters
Find at the end of the world
The musical Perth
Sail on the scent of
Tea brought to you by the belle
Algerie by name
Vive la france et
Vive la morale cheers
Le Triomphant now
Up and at them
Cheers Stewart in her routine
To pump you up high
Wanderlust is good
Houston has plenty of it
Tag along a bit
Can you smell the bread?
Henley made a lot of it
Go on and take one

The second part:
Sleep is for the weak Parizhskaya Kommuna
Work has to be done
African huntress
Axum dives for Italy
Brings coffee with her
Complete Samurai
Incomplete dancer tries hard
Start off the Hi-ryu
Most experience
Most impact most hides Yavuz
Most hugged of all
Loving the outside
Enjoys to play with golf balls
Watch out Chiyoda
Ideas in mind
Lampo improves every
Ship with her genius
Pure to most captains
Traitor to one. Not easy
Acting like Nerpa
Can you smell what fries?
Lexington prepares a treat
Both for friend and foe
Colour explosion
Embracing the new always
Nenohi searches
A l’attaque
Dunkerque is on our side
We fear for nothing
Faithful postal ship
Rawalpindi bring us post
Death to enemy
African huntress
Nubian sails for England
Brings dead prey with her
Can you smell something
Fishy? Could it be cooking?
Kitakami is

Also a good chunk of "good" Mastery is now Glammour there's a difference between the two pillars then and the two pillars now.
Altough I am sure they were some tensions between the two pillars when Mastery was legal, for exemple in diplomacy now uterly dominated by Glamour practicer not so much before.
There's also the fact that Glammour is the most widespread pillar and supposedly the most "easy" to learn. I would not be suprised that in some Mastery circle, Glammour is the lesser Art, a gateway to the real Art that is Mastery. (a bit like calligraphy/Orthography).
Altough now I wonder if Glammour/Mastery mastery was in anyway common for mage talented enough to master more than 2 pillars. The two seems to synergise nicely.

The adventure is called To the Fields! and its limited to people who have Botany as class but is named in the mod base "Botany Extra Credit Adventure" that why I call it like this above.
There is a side entry to this adventure if you somehow gain the rare plant "Schwarzbart Weed" ^^ what then allow you to craft the wand with this adventure.
(I.e. you can gain this weed with the adventure The Board Game )

In my opinion crafting comes down to 2 problems that y1 have. Extrem limited stock in the shops even for common materials and to have the recipe for a item you have to own it first.
The first point means you probably need to use 2-4 shop actions to even craft one item and for the next of the same type you have to find new shops.
The second point means items for your own usage are useless and crafting to earn money is to time consuming for questionable gain as at last my characters usual have more money then they want to spend.

Catalogs are the Academagia equivalent of net shopping, you buy stuff and it's delivered to you, but you can't sell items to them. It's a more secure way of buying stuff since you can't get caught with illegal stuff on you. There's also a time lag between purchase and delivery.
Catalogs are discovered the same way as most shops, through skill level ups.
List of catalogs: http://academagia.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Catalog_Shop
and while I'm at it all shops:
http://academagia.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Shop

I always focus on raising insight to at least 5 before studying at the Venalicium so that my characters will receive maximum benefits from insight based research skill-step increases gained through studying at the Venalicium.

The easy way is to use the Shop action and sell the item to a vendor (you cannot sell to a catalog for obvious reasons) and then rebuy it. While you are at it you can do some shopping as well (I usually sell off food items for instance).

@Von-Wulfen: Raise the study habits subskill of the school survival skill to 2. This will unlock the Consult the Artifact Registry (Action), which will allow a character to spend an action slot and 10 pims to identify an item.

As a general rule you're automatically/easily informed of most of the easy to find locations in the Academagia and the Academagia Grounds, so until you get high Explore levels those two can be ignored. Once you get high Explore levels (around 10 or 15+, up to the effective cap of ~30) there's a few less easy to find locations you could try to search for there.
Each Region, as they're called, contains dozens of locations. If you're getting many repeats it's either because your Explore levels are too low to find new things or you've just found a ton of locations already.

its a adventure and actual called Scenes From Dialectic Class, sorry.
In the first step if you select the exit "It's a higher principle. An ideal" you get 1 step theology and resulting from this a good way to train the Religion skills.

A Day in Dialectic Class (or how it is called again) is a other adventure that can unlock some interesting skills early.
When using adventure you best also check the color coding about the difficulty of the next adventure step.
http://academagia.wikia.com/wiki/Chance_of_Success#Chance_of_Success
But be warned its only the next step and not to few adventures are direct calling a other step if you success in the first one. So at best save before starting a day with a adventure call.
Although its a bit dated by now http://academagia.wikia.com/wiki/Mikka's_Adventure_Guide is still helpful for new and old player.

@Von-Wulfen: One relatively easy way to increase charm is to befriend Cyrus Dawes, which allows the dating subskill to have its cap increased to 11. Then, getting that subskill to 11 gives 1 charm. Emilia Picotti's adventure allows for a 2 point increase in Charm.

I'd like to throw out Yavuz and Kongo for the next duo. A German and British battlecruiser from WW1 meeting is sure to spark some lively discussion, as I can't imagine Kongo is too happy about Yavuz's cousin demolishing her half sister. Kongo, being basically a British aristocrat living in Japan, where pedigree and heritage are extremely important, would certainly hold Yavuz somewhat accountable for her family's actions. It might be interesting to see how Yavuz feels about her ancestry as well, since they lived short by exciting and successful careers, whereas Yavuz lived a long, quiet life.

Skill step/level increases and study level increases are two separate things. The game should clarify which one it uses. Incidentally, there are a few ways to study beyond Study in the Venalicium Library, but that's not something to worry about the first go around. SatVL can easily carry one through the entire game.
You can tell what your classload is based on which skills have study levels, since only your class skills do.

Yup, failure is not always the end of things .
Depends on your max stress, with a max of say 3, one bully action from Joana can lead you to Infirmary, but otherwise Rest is a wasted time slot. Generally stress needs to accumulate to more than 3 to have any consequences, unless your max is lower than said 3, and if your max is, say 15 or more, even that 3 may not have any consequences.
In my last playthrough I rested only once, but this requires reloading and meta game knowledge, so depending on play style this may not be a option.

1. That's actually a good question,as I never found out the answer for this.
2. No. Edit: Ignore this, false.
3. Failure can inform you of a skill, thus allowing you to train it. In rare cases, it may even give you skill steps.
4. Depends on how dire you feel the situation is... getting caught trespassing will lead to detention, failure to do physical stuff can lead to lost Vitality, failure to answer a teacher's question can lead to stress. There's all sorts of small consequences, and they are not always logical so it's difficult to tell.
5. Unlocking effective training location is a good plan, but it does require meta game knowledge.
If you don't mind spoilers:

My advice is to play one playthrough without overly stressing it, after that you should know better what to expect. It's impossible to know all the various tricks and bits by just looking at the menus.
If you're looking for more information on what to expect and what various things do, you could have a look at this:
It's surprisingly extensive for a supposed "basic mechanics" guide .
'Secrets of Silence' is a more of a RP choice in CC and it does not give any special abilities not inherent in the Gates skill itself. If you want to get an efficient way of training Gates then pick the Secret Heritage. It unlocks an adventure relevant to it.
If you're fine with spoilers:
Skill level 1 is not really sufficient to do much with Gates, and even the level 10 spells don't really match the lore of summoning terrifying monsters and teleportation. Makes sense that anything truly impressive would be beyond a first year. That aside many of the Gates spells are hostile spells that don't really help outside of a duel (and I wouldn't use illegal magic in a public duel), and since dueling in Y1 is kinda half hearted, so...

Botany is Insight, Dialectic is Intelligence, Negation is Fitness
Dialectic study mastery gives Insight
I would consider Zoology as this study mastery give Fitness and Music as this study mastery gives Intelligence
Revision is never a bad skill as beginner. (later when you know the game better you probably avoid it like I do)
Tip for music there is adventure where you lend a book that you have to start as soon as possible.

No, you don't need to (although if you wish to have it unlocked right at start you must), simply train the skill using Train or some other ability. Can't remember any background traits with Explore skill ups at the moment, check the wiki.
Edit: you could choose Tutoring: Explorer, although I wouldn't recommend it just for this.

Mastery is probably the most "classically" evil magic though, given that it involves controlling other human beings and pretty much everyone who practices it (with the exception of one group in one adventure) seems to be a cackling looney.

That text...hang on, Artifice/Astrology/Glamour/Incantation/Negation/Revision? That's six...um, that text is complete nonsense, forget about it. And no, that's not an exclusive or, illegal and legal magic aren't mutually exclusive. Illegal magic in this game, at least the most visible stuff constitutes the two now forbidden schools, Gates and Mastery. There's illegal stuff in otherwise legal pillars as well, Negating magic itself for instance, but that isn't as prominent. Both mechanically and in the story.

Only what college exclusive adventures you have access to. There might be a few adventures where one college gets an option that other colleges don't or vice-versa, but those instances are very few and far between - I can only remember one example off-hand, of the 100+ adventures I've gone through, so college exclusive adventures aside it's nothing you need worry about.

Your choice of College changes what college-exclusive adventures are open to you and which mandatory classes you have, primarily. A student who dabbles in forbidden magic can be from Durand as much as Hedi, or any of the others. RP-wise there's things that you'd keep in mind depending on what College you're in, but mechanically you're no more or less likely to be caught trespassing (or what have you) whether your Regent is Briardi or von Rupprecht.

You have to go through character creation and get into the game proper, yes. IIRC you no longer have to get to the calender screen, although Gera's letter and any Familiar intro adventure you got (only Pamela, the Platypus and the Doll get one IIRC) wouldn't be hard to go through.

There's no list that I know of. F12 is the only key you really need to know about anyway (check the quick overview of basic mechanics topic 'bout that).
Probably.
Anyway, did you check the menu and see if the Turn Off Music option is checked? If it's not I don't know what else would cause the music to vanish.

Declare Vendetta on someone you have a very low (like -8 or lower) relationship with, than trigger their Duel adventure (look for an adventure called "Gentleman's Duel" or "Something-or-'nother Rules").

I do things I can do with my current workmanship, so everything may change, but it may be as it is. Either way, I will draw various things.
It is possible to mail my doujins overseas, but it is very difficult to receive the price. Moreover, it is very expensive. I am considering being able to browse with pixiv etc etc.

As is described in the updated first post, I will be commissioning a Mardi Gras 2018 work to include Naw'lins and a voted Belle. So feel free to also place votes for No Boat's companion for Fat Tuesday. :-)
David and I are collaborating such that no Belle will be eligible for more than one work. Therefore New Orleans isn't votable now. We want to spread the wealth. :-)

-- Note, this is note BCS Tirpitz as the art for her is not out as of writing this--
**Tirpitz is on her deck at night.**
The snow glows white in the Fjord tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A basin of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen. The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, Furer knows I tried.
Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good belle you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let British know. Well, now they know!
Let it go, let it go! Won't hold it back any more. Let it go, let it go! Arm cannons, Torps and more! I don't care what they're going to say. Let the War rage on. The dead never bothered me anyway.
It's funny how some distance, makes enemies seem small. And the fears that once consumed me, can't damage me at all It's time to see what I can do, to test their limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free!
Let it go, let it go. I sail under the ocean's sky. Let it go, let it go. They'll never see me cry. Here I'll sail, and here I'll stay. Let the war rage on.
My power flurries through my cannons all abound My soul is spiraling with explosive blasts all around And one thought crystallizes like an magazine blast I'm never pulling back; the past is in the past!
Let it go, let it go. And I'll fight 'til break of dawn. Let it go, let it go That perfect girl is gone Here I stand, in the light of day.
Let the war rage on! Their dead never bothered me anyway...